I spent three days in Longwood with my parents, sisters, my brothers-in-law, and their children. It was so nice to connect with my family again. Although, I did miss my Gohonzon. It’s a mandala that has nam myoho renge kyo down the center of it and I focus on it as I chant. Chanting to a blank wall is not the same but of course I made the best of it. My nieces and nephews are all teenagers now. I remember when they were little and it’s amazing to see them approaching adulthood. Maureen, Stephan and Michael speak perfect English and German. My sister Maggie always made a point of speaking English to them in their home. Sometimes my sister’s family will speak German to each other around our family. I am currently studying German on Duolingo. It’s a slow process. I am not conversant yet. I can say some things in German, but I can’t really hold a conversation. I will keep trying. Eventually, persistence will pay off.
I was able to connect with my sister Cristina’s kids too. The oldest Aaron recently turned 25 and I have fond memories of him toddling around at my wedding. His brother Sam just started college and his siblings Carol and Mark are in high school and middle school. Carol made me a doll that I adore. It looks like me. It’s my mini me and sometimes I chant with her next to me.
I have started chanting for my family more. Unfortunately, some of my loved ones are dealing with health challenges. I guess it can be part of getting older. Although, for the most part I am still healthy. Fortunately, I don’t have dementia, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart issues or high blood pressure. All of which run in my family. The main issues that I have are my mental health, and my weight. I had gained weight during COVID and then after I became unemployed, I gained even more weight. I joined Weight Watchers on September 1st. There was a special promotional sale, and I took advantage of it. I am back to tracking my food. Something I did for a long time. I was able to maintain a healthy weight for several years, but then I grew tired of keeping track of everything I ate. So, I quit and as a result I am now very overweight.
My family loves to eat. For the holidays we get together and eat plenty of delicious food together. We bond over our meals. In my family more people are overweight than not. I don’t chant about losing weight. I guess it’s not a top priority for me to chant about. I have so many other things to focus on. I also don’t chant about my writing. Those are two things I should add to my chanting list. I was talking to my friend Nina who chants too, and she is a dancer. She shared with me that she does chant about dancing. She encouraged me to chant about my writing. She said that she chants about dancing all the time.
Nichiren Buddhism is about practice for self and others. I tend to focus on others and not so much on myself. I spend most of my time chanting for people I care about. I love chanting for people I love. I do believe that my chanting does penetrate their lives in a positive way. I believe that my entire family benefits from my chanting, Sometimes, I wish I wasn’t the only one doing so. Most of my family is Christian. Many but not all are Catholic.
Family is important to me. I do respect my family’s religion. I grew up Catholic. My mom made us go to church with her when we were kids. I do know that chanting is not for everyone and that’s okay. It’s just that practicing Nichiren Buddhism has had such a transformative effect on my life, that I just can’t keep that to myself. I did talk to a family member about my practice my last day in Longwood. We will see whether or not they decide to practice. They have some health issues now and nothing they are doing seems to be working. I am hoping they will give chanting a try. I am certain that if they were to embrace Buddhism, they would change their karma and improve their health.
I have complete confidence in my practice of Nichiren Buddhism with the SGI-USA. My community of believers is very nurturing. We encourage and support one another in our practice. I know for a fact that I am much better off now, then I would have been without my practice. Chanting nam myoho renge kyo does work!